Ambition to boost Welsh film industry with new company support fund.

Welsh film companies are to be given the opportunity to further their innovation, capacity and audience reach with the Film Agency for Wales’ new Company Support programme.

Through the £275,000 ($445,000) fund, Film Agency Wales is aiming to bolster the country’s film industry infrastructure with a focus on nurturing Welsh talent and fostering creative and financial relationships on an international level.

The funding is intended to respond to the bespoke requirements of promising companies to further their growth and reach through film.   

Rather than working on a project-to-project basis, production and distribution companies that are awarded funding will be afforded the opportunity to develop “a joined-up approach to their operations and a forward-facing business strategy”.

This should include market awareness, technological innovation and exploring the opportunities of wider exploitation of their intellectual property.

The non-project-specific funding award will also work towards generating jobs for the Welsh film industry by increasing company capacity and accelerating projects reaching the market.

Companies eligible to apply should be based in Wales and must be able to demonstrate that film production and/or distribution is a key component of the business. However, this does not preclude companies that also work in television, games and other media from applying.

Film Agency Wales’ head of creative sector development, Hannah Thomas said: “We have proven Welsh talent, especially writers, directors and producers, generating home-grown intellectual property, which this fund seeks to harness and build upon. 

“We aim to support Welsh companies to develop their medium to long-term growth strategies; increase international collaboration and broaden revenue streams.”

Thomas will oversee the fund, which is open for applications from today (Oct 28). Further information, guidelines and applications are available from www.filmagencywales.com

The fund is supported by The National Lottery through the Arts Council of Wales.

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